Materials

• 17 food station place cards
• 85 food cards (5 per place card)
• 15 encounter cards
• approximately 1,400 tally beads (divided equally between stations)
• 14 gathering mark popsicle sticks (7 per acorn and pinenut station)
• 17 baskets (from activity 4 - to hold tally beads/gathering marks at stations)
• optional: "Dixie" cups to hold each student's tally beads
• optional: sheets of easel poster paper - teacher provided

Objectives:

• Students will gain insights to the Washoe hunting and gathering culture.
• Students will try to survive through the seasons by competing for food with other "beings".
• Students will learn of the interrelationships of the natural world.

Background:

The world of the hunter/gatherer might first appear to be filled with easy opportunities for resources, but competition within the Tribe and between neighboring Tribes placed limits on the availability of these natural resources. The ancient Washoe also had to compete with the native animals for food. The climate and natural disasters such as fire and avalanches also helped to define the availability of the resources.

This lesson helps students better understand how and when resources were available to the ancient Washoe. Students will participate in a simulated hunting and gathering experience that attempts to simulate several natural events.

Before You Begin This Lesson:

• This activity is better suited for mature fourth graders. You may need to modify the activity based on the character of your class. The activity can be modified by reducing the number of survival points needed to survive each season, having one good reader in each foraging group, reminding Washoe and bear not to spend too much time on hunting and encounter conflicts, and by closely monitoring food cards and tally points.
  
• Take time to read through this entire lesson before you attempt to teach it.
  
• Arrange your classroom to provide as much space as possible. You may even try to run the activity in the multi-purpose room.
  
• Set up food stations with tally bead/gathering mark baskets on desks or tables. Stations should have plant groupings that reflect actual plant communities.
  
• For example:

Riparian = Beehives, Elderberry, Cottonwood, Cattail, and Willow

Transition zones = Currants, Gooseberry and Sunflower

Pinon/Juniper woodland = Pinon and Brodiaea

Forest = White Fir and Deer Brush

Meadow = Wild Onion and Blue Camas

Sandy Desert = Indian Rice Grass and Grasshoppers

California = White Oak (Acorn) - .

NOTE: White Oak (Acorn) is found some distance from the Washoe home range. This station should therefore be located farthest from other stations.

Activity:

1. Open the activity by explaining that each student will play the role of one of four organisms in search of food. The four organisms, or beings, students will role play are:

Washoe, Bear, Deer, Pinyon, Jay

2. Explain that there are specific rules these four beings will follow while hunting/gathering for food. There are rules for both movement and hunting/gathering.
   
3. Go over the following rules with your class:

I. Rules for Movement

• Student "beings" will visit up to four stations per 1 minute feeding period.
• Student "beings" can chose to visit stations within or across community groups.
• Student "beings" may return to a previously visited station only after they have visited two other stations.
• Student "beings" must move as directed by the encounter cards. (The encounter cards are long, black, laminated rectangles. Read a few excerpts from these cards to give students a feel for how they are to move during portions of the simulation.)

II. Rules for Hunting/Gathering

A. Student "beings" will hunt/gather as follows:

• Bears - are solitary. They will hunt/ gather alone.
• Washoe - will hunt/gather in groups of two and three
• Mule Deer - will gather in two herds of four
• Pinyon Jay - will hunt/gather in three equal sized flocks

B. Student "beings" will hunt according to the following schedule: (You may wish to record this feeding schedule on the front board)

Bear - Early morning, early evening, and night,

Washoe - Early morning, late morning, late afternoon, and early evening

Mule Deer - Early morning and early evening

Pinyon Jay - Early morning, late morning, afternoon, late afternoon, and early evening.

C. Student "beings" will have all individuals drawing food cards.

D. No more than four food cards may be turned over by the students during each feeding period.

E. Students will take the number of tally beads specified by the food card.

F. Point value for foods are as follows: (You may want to record this information onto the front board)

Primary food - 4 points
Secondary food - 2 points
Tertiary food - 1 point
Hunted food - 4 points

III. Hunting practices are as follows:

• Bears and Washoe may hunt Mule Deer.
• A Mule Deer may be hunted when it approaches within two feeding stations of any
• Bear or Washoe.
• The hunter must use two hands to "tag" the deer.
• Tagging is only done when the deer are between feeding stations.
• Deer may escape the hunter by going to a different community station than that of the original sighting station (a different colored station).
• When a deer is caught, it must give the hunter four beads and return the
• others to the station nearest where it was caught.
• If the deer does not have enough beads to supply the hunter, the hunter may take the beads from the station nearest where the deer was caught.
• Student beings who have met their demise on a food card or through hunting caN become the time keeper or station monitors who direct traffic and/or settle conflicts for the remainder of that season.
• Students who have not survived should return their tally beads to the nearest station.

4. Encourage students to use critical thinking skills when deciding which foods will be available during the four different seasons.
   
5. Once you think the class has a general feel for the simulation, assign students into the beings according to the following guidelines for a typical class size:

Bears - 3 students

Washoe - 7 students

Mule Deer - 8 students

Pinyon Jay - balance of class

6. Encourage students to adopt the movements and mannerisms of the "being" they represent. Arm bands of masking tape can be used to signify the "being" they represent. You may decide to have students switch identities for each season. It's up to you.
   
7. There is a laminated encounter card for each of the 4 "beings." These cards explain how each "being" is to react when they encounter another "being". Because the bears hunt alone, each bear gets his or her own encounter card. A leader from each of the remaining groups should be given an encounter card for their group to share. These cards are held by the groups throughout the simulation. Make sure each group understands how they are to react to other "beings" based on the encounter cards.
   
8. Once all roles have been assigned, begin the simulation by announcing the season (begin with spring and move through the seasons in order) followed by the feeding time (early morning - late morning - afternoon - late afternoon - early evening - night).

Important!

• Bears will not forage in winter because they are inactive.
• Washoe should only forage at winter if they do not have enough survival points at the start of winter.

9. Allow the students to circulate freely amongst the stations. If students are "caught" between stations at the end of feeding times or seasons they must return back to the group area and wait for their next feeding time to be announced.
   
10. At the end of each season, have students count their tally beads. Students will need a sheet of paper to record this information. If you decided to run the simulation where students switch identities for each season, students that were Washoe during the spring should switch their points with the new summer Washoe. Counted tally beads should be recorded by the students for each being they represented and each season.
    
11. The activity should proceed until the last feeding time of the last season (ie. early evening of winter).

Closure:

1. Instruct students return to their seats or gather in a large circle.
2. Lead students in a discussion of the effects of competing for food (ie. include: competition within and between species, availability of food sources, and random events such as encountering a competitor or predator, climatic events, and opportunistic activities).
3. (Optional) Have students create seasonal graphs for: survival rates within and between species, and tally points for each being they represented.

Evaluation:

1. Students who are foraging at the wrong times may have not paid attention to the introduction.
2. Students reading skills can be informally evaluated by observing how many food cards they draw and the points tallied.
3. Watch for student understanding of the concept of "competition" as it pertains to the hunting and gathering of food.
4. The correct representation of graphs might demonstrate mathematical comprehension.